Tuesday, September 9, 2008

Kaze Hikaru

Sorry for the lack of updates - I had a very hectic schedule. I was going to post a review for One Piece, but I decided to read up about the history of pirates first. So here is Kaze Hikaru

Kaze HikaruRating - 5/10Genre: Historical Fiction, Romance, Shojo

Plot Summary: Kamiya Seizaburo joins the Miburoshi. When she was younger, her father and brother were both killed, and she hopes to use the Miburoshi in order to take revenge and restore her honor. However, theres a slight catch - Seizaburo isn't really Seizaburo, nor is he really a he. In fact, its Tominaga Sei, a girl masquerading as a boy. Her skills parallel that of most males however, and she is able to pull it off ... that is, until she thinks that she can't stand it anymore and tries to run away. She finds a spy and in the process of defeating him, it is revealed that she is a girl to Okita Soji, another member. Soji promises to keep it a secret, and a romance starts to bloom.

Analysis: Its an iffish manga, although it is very true to the Historical Fiction genre. The plot of the manga is basically as follows - open up a japanese history textbook, add a girl masquerading as a boy, and there you go. The Miburoshi are more commonly known as the Shinsengumi, an army for the government that was later used as a scapegoat in order to escape promises. However, its good if you want to learn something about japanese history, as it doesn't change it too much. Part of the manga is dealing with historical events, part of it is slight comedy, and part of it is just girl/romance stuff. Again, as I say with stuff that I rate 5 or lower, read it if you want, but only if you're bored.

Characters: Well, I said who Sei was, and you know the name of the organization ... Everyone else in the manga is a real historical figure. Look it up.